The ride of the day has to go to Jordan Kerby (UniSA-Australia) at only 20 years old. He lasted out there for 100km and snagged up all the KOM points to now lead the Skoda King of the Mountain classification.
“At the start of my first WorldTour race, I was pretty excited,” said Kerby. “UniSA always try to be aggressive at the Tour Down Under. It was great to have Dave Sanders (Team Manager) telling me from the car to not overdo it. Once I got seven minutes lead, I tried to ride tempo.”
“Now I’m the king of the mountains,” Kerby said. “But it’s a very big challenge to keep the jersey with what’s coming up. I’ll give it a try though!”
Word on the street is that Philippe Gilbert is here to win the overall race to get some points in the bag for BMC and to take the pressure off the team for the earlier part of the season. We saw a glimpse of this ambition with him taking one of the time bonuses at the end of the stage with Simon Gerrans doing the same. They both sit seven seconds back from Greipel on GC.
Tomorrow’s stage is a great one to get out for a ride and watch on the roadside. The place to be will be on Corkscrew Road. The guys from Shimano will be hosting a party on the hill so there’s sure to be some atmosphere up there. Rumor has it that Matty Lloyd will be gunning for the win. The Corkscrew is a relatively short and steep climb with a 7km descent, so there is bound to be some splits in the field and a small bunch running towards the finish.
Click here for stage 1 full results and race report.
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- Rolling through the Adelaide Hills before the start of the race.
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- I’ve always said that I’d rather be at the Tour Down Under than any other race in the world. No transfers, a buzzing city, nice weather, and phenomenal riding to various parts of the race. What’s not to love?
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- Jens Voigt (Radioshack Leopard) as always very casual as he prepares for stage 1 in Prospect.
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- Saxo-Tinkoff rider relaxing before the start of the first stage of the 2013 TdU
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- Rainbow stripes of the current World Champion, Phillipe Gilbert (Team BMC).
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- Jordon Kerby (Team Uni SA) on a solo breakaway near Millbrook. Consequently, he was awarded the Most Competitive Rider award for his efforts.
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- Peloton passing Millbrook Reservoir.
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- Jerome Pineau (Omega Pharma – Quickstep) attempting a solo breakaway during the first lap around Lobethal.
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- Peloton passing vineyards in Lobethal.
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- Andre Greipel celebrates his first World Tour win of the 2013 season (second if you include Sunday’s criterium which is not officially a stage of the TDU).
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- Radioshack Leopard rider, Jesse Sergent, reflecting stage 1 with fellow team member, Andy Schleck
Race Results Summary
Tour Down Under (2013) - Stage 1
| Position | Name | Nationality | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GREIPEL, André | GER | LOTTO BELISOL | 3:35:24 |
| 2 | DEMARE, Arnaud | FRA | FDJ-BIG MAT | 0 |
| 3 | RENSHAW, Mark | AUS | Blanco | |
| 4 | PONZI, Simone | ITA | ASTANA | |
| 5 | VON HOFF, Steele | AUS | Garmin-Sharp | |
| 6 | FERRARI, Roberto | ITA | LAMPRE - ISD | |
| 7 | PIETROPOLLI, Daniele | ITA | LAMPRE - ISD | |
| 8 | BOASSON HAGEN, Edvald | NOR | SKY PROCYCLING | |
| 9 | ROJAS GIL, Jose Joaquin | ESP | MOVISTAR | |
| 10 | DEMPSTER, Zakkari | AUS | UNI SA-Australia |
| Position | Name | Nationality | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GREIPEL, André | GER | LOTTO BELISOL | 3:35:14 |
| 2 | DEMARE, Arnaud | FRA | FDJ-BIG MAT | 4 |
| 3 | RENSHAW, Mark | AUS | Blanco | 6 |
| 4 | GERRANS, Simon | AUS | ORICA-GREENEDGE | 7 |
| 5 | GILBERT, Philippe | BEL | BMC RACING | |
| 6 | PINEAU, Jérôme | FRA | OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP | 8 |
| 7 | DE GENDT, Thomas | BEL | VACANSOLEIL-DCM | |
| 8 | PONZI, Simone | ITA | ASTANA | 9 |
| 9 | ROJAS GIL, Jose Joaquin | ESP | MOVISTAR | |
| 10 | VON HOFF, Steele | AUS | Garmin-Sharp | 10 |
